Spontaneous intracranial hypotension
Report of two cases and review of the literature
Citation Manager Formats
Make Comment
See Comments

Abstract
We report two patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension. In addition to the cardinal features of a postural headache and a low CSF pressure, the patients also had subdural fluid collections demonstrated by head MRI. In both patients, radionuclide cisternography revealed a CSF leak along the spinal axis and rapid accumulation of radioisotope in the bladder. CSF leakage from spinal meningeal defects may be the most common cause of this syndrome. The headache is a consequence of the low CSF pressure producing displacement of pain-sensitive structures. Associated symptoms, including tinnitus and vertigo, and subdural fluid collections are presumably from hydrostatic changes among intracranial fluid compartments that occur at low CSF pressures. Methods of treatment are identical to those for post-dural puncture headaches. Epidural blood patches and epidural saline infusions have rapidly ameliorated the symptoms of spontaneous intracranial hypotension.
- © 1992 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Cutaneous α-Synuclein Signatures in Patients With Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson Disease
Dr. Rizwan S. Akhtar and Dr. Sarah Brooker
► Watch
Related Articles
- No related articles found.